Stranger From Paradise
by Maria Magdalene Mesmer
Summary: Her father was of the sky. Her mother was of the earth. And she is of the... actually she doesn't know where she belongs. But they know what she's worth.
1. I

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue except the plots and original characters. They are figments of my imagination.

***

_Caput Unus_

_Caecus Iustitia_

***

Somewhere on the streets of a well-known metropolis, included in the Greater Tokyo Area, people crowded over the man lying on the pavement. His blood was mapped out all over the road from a nasty collision with a car. A little boy stood only a few feet away from him, immobilized at the lifeless body of his own father. A few had kneeled beside the man to see if he still has a pulse. Not that long the siren of an ambulance can be heard rushing towards the scene. The kid started crying and with his shaking hand he pointed towards the park. No one knew for sure what the child wanted to say or what he wanted the people to know, the trauma he must be facing at that moment was their top priority. He was scooped away from the scene and was rushed to the hospital together with his unresponsive father.

The ambulance drove steadfast away from the mayhem and vanished into the depths of the city. Little did it know that someone from the nearest unfinished building followed it with her undivided gaze. A beautiful being clothed in pure white tunic was sitting on the topmost floor and at the very edge of the structure no less. There was a heavy sigh on her part before departing her seat.

"She has done it again", she spoke as she stood up.

Behind her was another heavenly being who only nodded upon hearing her words.

"An order has been issued", she started, turning around to face her company, "Gather them all"

"What about the boy?"

"We can do nothing" she said, "His conundrum is something that should not be altered for it will reveal itself in due time"

There was no more response from the person whom she was talking to. The figure, however, withdrew from the shadows in which it had been hiding. He was wearing the same white tunic and had a striking handsomeness about him that amplified boyishness. His right arm rose towards the sky and from his open palm light gathered and formed a golden trumpet. He brought the instrument against his lips and made one long note across the city.

Satisfied with the call he made; she turned once more and looked downward from the edge of the building. More of their kind appeared in equal beauty to them. They formed three ascending rows in midair according to three divine sectors. Not only were they floating, they were also singing, glorifying the surroundings with their magnificent voices.

She scanned the rows and without further delay, she stretched her arms on both sides, commanding the steel beams lying on the foot of the building to rise and bend as easily as spoons would. With one swift motion, she waved her arms towards the middle of the rows. The curved bars came crashing down on the ground and made a birdcage-like ward in the centre. The singing ceased and all eyes fell towards it.

She cleared her throat and said, "Bring forth the impure"

The same bright light that came from the trumpet bearer's hand started to group from inside the cage. It filled the entire interior but the glow did not leaked out through the gaps. With a tiny pop, the light finally exploded and was replaced by another of their kind.

Most of the holy beings flinched and stepped back as if offended by her very sight. Their faces were contorted from utmost repulsion. Though the way of her calling had been somewhat astonishing, her delivery was not as gracious as it ought to be.

Her vivid long hair toppled over her face blocking her view. She was not standing on her feet but down on all fours she materialized in front of them. Her limbs were struggling to keep her up and her breathing was heavy. Strong indication of unbearable pain was apparent. Aside from the way she was curling up from her tormenting disposition, her tunic was stained with human's vital fluid.

"Once again you have disgraced us" said the beautiful one who summoned for her presence, "The havoc you have caused down there was by far your worst mistake"

"He was not supposed to see me" the captive cried back.

"Because you failed to control yourself" she said, circling the cage, "We have tried our mightiest to keep you away from anything that caused your father's most unfortunate treason and yet your own instincts tells you to go after them"

A short jeer from the watchers erupted. With a little effort, the imprisoned shook her head to lessen the obstruction her hair was causing. She saw disapproving eyes stare back at her.

"We cannot detain you any longer" she finally stopped in front of her, "You are to be stripped away of your capabilities and shall be casted off"

"What?!" the suffering one exclaimed, grasping the bars to lift herself up, "How could you bestow such judgement upon me?"

"Silence!" she countered, "You dare defy His orders?"

The words stunned her completely. Tiny gasps had sprouted from around her that made her instantly defeated. Tears trickled down her face as she found herself surrendering to her statement.

"What will become of me?" she uttered with such fragility.

No one spoke as another being from the middle row descended ever so gracefully beside the one who stood in front of the imprisoned. His countenance was extremely handsome compared to that of the trumpet bearer. There was an air of gentleness to the way he presented himself. The captive choked on her tears and her eyes sparked not for fear but for hope. Her hand slipped through one of the gaps and he caught it dutifully. Assurance was all she felt in the way he had squeezed her hand. His receptiveness increased when he slipped his hand through the bars and gently swept away a few strands of her hair. If anyone was to help her, it was certainly him for he was her destined partner.

His hand which partially rested on her cheek made its way in front of her eyes. His palm was all she could see and she wanted to inquire as to why particles of light had started to form right before her. And finally with his tender voice he spoke.

"I'm sorry"

***

_Chapter One_

_Blind Justice_

_***_

Magdalene's Note: Rewritten. That's all, peace~


	2. II

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue except the plots and original characters. They are figments of my imagination.

***

_Caput Duo_

_Volare Libere_

***

Another morning had arrived on the same city in which all previous events had befallen. The time that went by for the child who witnessed the tragedy involving his beloved father had been quite lengthy. But unlike the little boy, the being that was removed from her position as one of the celestial beings, had a less prolonged transition. It was a blink of an eye for her and three years less than a decade for the hapless kid.

***

She woke up with such a start it made her sit right away. Her whole body had perspired during the course of her sleep and if were to be roused a few minutes later she could have taken a bath right there on her mattress. Some random rock music was playing aloud from her radio that doubles as an alarm clock. It was almost over when the commentator spoke.

"Good morning Yokohama! Rise and shine! The time now is seven in the morning and that was abingdon boys school's third single entitled Neph—", she finally turned the radio off.

She got up, very much irritated from the way she had awoken. Shaking the weird dream off, she marched inside the bathroom to tidy up. With her face washed, teeth brushed, hair combed and already wearing her new school uniform, out the door she went. As soon as she had locked her unit, she turned and greeted the sun, wishing that everything would go smoothly with her new school.

And she walked on from her apartment building and into the gates of Seisou Gakuin. She was pleased with the look of the school and was happy for not getting lost in its many hallways. She was ushered into the main office to consult first with the principal, have a little chat about the difference between the two departments the school has, and then into the faculty room to meet with her adviser.

"Hino Kahoko?" one of the faculty members asked.

"Yes" she answered.

"You're in my class" he said, standing from his small office stall, "Please follow me"

The hallways of the school were well kept and there were no more students outside the rooms. Classes have already started except for Hino's newly appointed homeroom. Her adviser entered first and asked for her to come in at his signal. She obediently went in and introduced herself to the class just as her homeroom teacher had finished writing her name on the board. There were a few hushes but she kept her cool.

"Hino-san, you may take the seat next to the class president" her adviser said, "Kaji-san, kindly help her out with the previous lessons"

Her face went a bit sour; she was only a few weeks late, not that big of a deal. Hino's supposed seat was next to the window on the second to the last of rows. She suppressed a tiny snort at the thought of how typical it was for a new student to seat next to the window. The blond sitting next to her chair was a fine-looking guy. For a class president, he was quite dashing, more fitting for the position of being the class escort.

With a final bow she sauntered to her seat and plopped her bag down on her desk. She cupped her chin with her left hand, placed her elbow next to her bag and stared outside to look at the clouds. There was a small screech on her right that made her eye the class president discreetly. A pair of emerald eyes met her and she felt her cheeks blush for trying to slip a glance towards him.

"Hi there" he said.

"Hello" she snapped uncertainly.

"I'm Kaji Aoi" he added, "I'm the president of class 2-2"

"So I've heard" she didn't mean to sound sarcastic, it just did, "Hino Kahoko"

He smiled and it was such a nice display of his comeliness. She beamed back making her cheeks blush redder. Classes went on and Hino was able to make fast friends with the stunning class president and the other members of the back row seats. A shrilly brown haired girl named Takato Mio offered Hino an extra pencil when she was in need of one and a silent but witty girl named Kobayashi Nao whom gave her the answer upon being called randomly. There was also a Sasaki Junosuke who accidentally threw a crumpled paper at her direction; it was actually meant to hit Kaji.

During break Kaji went and talked to Sasaki, who then apologized about the paper incident. She had lunch with them inside the room and traded whatsoever were inside their lunchboxes. Classes resumed not before long.

At their dismissal there was one specific place Hino wanted to go to before calling it a day. Before entering her department, she saw the obviously huge rooftop it has. She left the room after saying short goodbyes to her new friends and briskly made her way to the top floor. It was her biggest pleasure to let her eyes feast upon the variety of colours and shapes the clouds made.

The minute she flung the door open, she saw and was glad at the current state of the sky. It had a beautiful golden glow. The sun was not entirely exposed, but it partially hid between the surrounding clouds. It was definitely a picturesque scene, perfect for her growing collection of snapshots. She whipped out her phone, flipped it open and took a few shots of the sky.

"There" she whispered, making one of the freshly taken pictures as the wallpaper for her phone.

She walked over to the concrete benches where she noticed a notebook. Just as she was about to pick it up the melody of an instrument emitted from within the vicinity of the school. It was a soothing sound and she found herself lost at the mere notes it made. The music had somehow captured her heart most profoundly. It was astounding enough that her whole mind felt like she had just entered some sort of trance. She abandoned the notebook entirely and glided towards the edge of the rooftop instead. Her hands touched the cold bars and unknowingly both her feet had managed to step up on the foot tall concrete base of the railings.

Hino felt intense attachment to the music and soon she was humming in return. Her eyes closed, her arms rose beside her and her feet were on their toes. There was no clear explanation as to why she felt like she could lift off the ground at any moment. These simple acts, however, had placed her on a most precarious position. Finally, her lips could no longer hold the words that were starting to build up inside her lungs.

"_Et lingua eius loquetur indicium" _she sang without knowing the meaning of it but in perfect harmony with the melody.

"Don't you just _love_ the rooftop?" asked a voice from behind her.

To her surprise she was not at all alarmed by the sudden inquiry. Instead she kept her eyes closed and answered back with a delighted nod.

"Doesn't it make you want to _fly_?" added the voice.

"Fly?" she repeated.

The door opened once more with such ferocity it snapped her eyes wide open.

"Oi!"

She spun around so fast she forgot about where she was standing. Hino lost her footing and felt her back being pulled towards the other end. Her hands failed to grasp the railings on time. There was nothing she could do about it but prepare for something so untimely.

***

_Chapter Two_

_Fly Freely_

***

Magdalene's Note: Oh nooo! Note to self, wear safety gears when on the rooftop. Haha~


	3. III

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue except the plots and original characters. They are figments of my imagination.

***

_Caput Tres_

_Iucundus Embolium_

***

The very thought of falling off a building and dying from the impact of her body with the ground, did not scare Hino even a little. She had never seen death as something she ought to fear. However, no matter how ready she was to face death, her body made no such contact. Two strong arms had wrapped around her tiny frame. The same person embracing her had also used his own body to cushion her from the impact they made with the rooftop floor.

On those fleeting moments, when her body was being pulled by gravity, she saw shards of feathers in the air falling helplessly as she did. The fluttering fluffs distracted her that led to her not noticing that someone had already pulled her away from harm's way. They lay there on the concrete, unmoving and trying to calm themselves from the sudden incident.

"Are you insane?" an angry voice rose from beneath her.

"No"

"Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"No" she repeated.

"Then what the hell was that?" his voice did not change.

"I don't know"

There was an awkward pause between the two. For the first time, she was able to acknowledge the fact that he's a fellow student in the same year and department. His olive-green hair was quite messed up but his coat suffered severely. It had dirty skid marks and a few rips here and there.

"Are you not feeling well?" he suddenly asked as she pulled away from him.

"I'm fine" she answered.

"For now you are" he stood, dusting off his already scratched coat.

"I'm sorry about your uniform"

"That's okay" he said taking it off then extending a hand for her, "At least you're safe"

"Thanks" she took his hand, "I'm Hino Kahoko from class 2-2. I just got transferred here this morning"

"That explains a lot" he replied, "Tsuchiura Ryoutaro from class 2-5"

Hino gave another apology for his coat and even offered to mend it. But he insisted that it was not a huge problem. She then asked as to why he came there in the first place. The notebook that she saw lying on one of the benches earlier was his. He went back to the rooftop thinking perchance he had left it there only to be met by Hino standing dangerously on the foot of the railings. The incident would not have happened if it weren't for the music she heard, which she had also asked about .Tsuchiura told her it could have been from one of the practice rooms within the other department. His countenance changed immensely at the mention of the opposite division. Seeing that there was no more to be discussed, Hino took her leave the minute she looked at her watch. Tsuchiura followed her with his notebook finally inside his bag and left the place.

Unheard by mortal ears, the sound of beating wings emanated from the recently deserted top floor. The trumpet bearer appeared next to the door. He made his way towards the railings barefooted and eyes glaring mercilessly.

"What do you think you were doing" he roared.

Sitting casually on the railings was the handsome being who acted upon the orders of the beautiful one from years ago. He ignored the trumpet bearer's question and casted his eyes down below. Hino was just about to exit the gates when she made a swift turn towards the rooftop then left with speed.

"Reminding her that she's mine" he spat back.

"Pray, what has just passed your lips?" a commanding voice questioned.

They both looked back and saw the beautiful being stood above the door. Her mahogany tresses swaying about her shoulders and her white tunic flowed with the wind. She then gave them each a nod before expanding all of her six wings to the fullest degree. Both ambled forward, lowered their heads and immediately kneeled on their right. She gave her word and both resumed their upright position with utmost dignity.

"Why risk making yourself almost visible to her?" she asked the handsome one, "That is _not_ a character of a Dominion"

"Do forgive me" said he.

"Be more heedful Azuma" she spoke then faced the trumpet bearer, "What news of the man?"

"Still the same seven years ago" he answered.

"Quite dreadful, do you not think Kazuki?"

"Indeed"

"Well then, I trust you have other obligations you need to govern to" she said and with finality, "Carry on"

The two answered in unison and kneeled once more. There was another audible chain of wings flapping about and when it ended, all three of them were gone.

***

"Thank you very much" Hino addressed her fifth costumer.

In order to support herself fully, Hino works a string of jobs and one of those is her work at a bookshop near her apartment building. The income was good and the distance was convenient enough for her.

"Hino-san" called the manager.

"Yes?"

"There are a few disorganized books over the inspirational section" her boss said, "Can you handle those?"

"No problem" she answered.

She left the cashier and went to where she was directed. The aisle was situated beside the windows of the shop. She sighed when she saw the books on the floor, most of which were opened. Someone must have done some kind of research right there instead of going to the library. She sat on the ground and one by one started going through the books to close them.

There was but one that stood out to her. Unlike the rest of the mess, this book was closed with a tiny piece of paper in between the pages. The face of the book had no title but it was handsomely made and well bounded together. She cannot remember ever stumbling upon it but nevertheless she opened it with immeasurable curiosity. The book greeted her with a medieval drawing on one page and tons of words on the other side. It was a picture of a tall winged being almost caught in an embrace with what appeared to be a wingless female. She found her hand going through the intricate details of the sketch and soon her eyes fell to the caption underneath it.

"The fallen one" she read.

The piece of paper contained a few phrases and numbers which were all new to her but she ignored what it could possibly mean and her eyes persevered. She read the handwritten note.

"That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they _were _fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose" she continued on with the second sentence below, "When the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare _children_ to them"

The picture and the memo clung to her like poison that had just triggered her nerves to a most vexatious degree. She cannot comprehend why she suddenly felt powerless from the notes alone.

"Miss?" the voice had a palpable annoyance to it.

She looked up with such a daze on her face it might have irritated the person who called for her attention.

"Do I have to call your manager and report you slacking off at work?" he said, raising a threatening brow.

"Uh?" she started uncertainly, "No"

"Then I suggest you do your work by showing me where the compilation of scores by Henri Vieuxtemps is"

"Of course!" Hino almost knocked the shelf off as she stood.

She staggered along aisles and felt extremely embarrassed to find out that the copies were still in the stock room. Quickly as she could, Hino apologized and excused herself to fetch her costumer a copy. As she handed the compilation to him, she saw that he was yet another student from Seisou Gakuin only this time the colour of his coat was cream and he was carrying a violin case. There was no slight gratitude on his part only another reminder for her to be more attentive.

That didn't matter to her, since she was still consumed by the mysterious appearance of the book she found a while ago. She eagerly went back to the aisle but was baffled at the sight of the already arranged books. Hino asked her co-workers if any of them had placed back the books in their proper places but no one claimed to have ever touched the books she was asked to organize.

***

"Do you believe in angels?" she asked the blond lying next to her.

"Sort of" he answered, "Why the sudden question?"

"Nothing"

Kaji had asked Hino to have lunch with him on the school garden and both were quite delighted how refreshing it was to eat outside their classroom. The cafeteria didn't work out quite nicely since it was always jam-packed with students.

"Do you think they are capable of falling in love?" she blurted out.

"In love?" he started, "With fellow angels?"

"No" she stirred a bit, "With human beings"

"I think they can"

"Really?"

"Yeah" he said, pulling himself off the ground and leaning against a tree.

"Please elaborate" she requested.

Hino squinted through the leaves of the tree that acted as their shade. The memories of the falling feathers, the drawing and the anonymous note have clouded up every inch of her mind. And there was also that mysterious music which she knew the lyrics to. It was all too strange but she felt a huge commitment to know more about them.

"I think I read somewhere that they even produced offspring with mere mortals", he started, trying his hard to recollect the information, "Somewhat extraordinary kind of human race"

"I see" she whispered.

"Hey look we better go" he suggested, "It's almost time"

"Go ahead, I think I need a minute to think things through" Hino answered, "I've been quite bothered since last night"

"See you in class then" Kaji respected her wishes then stood, "Don't think about it too much, it might give you a headache"

Being alone was all she needed. She wanted so desperately to know what kind of language she had uttered together with that very enigmatic melody. But her time's up. She closed her eyes and let out one long sigh to cool her nerves before going through the rest of her classes.

Upon opening her eyes the weak but distinct music from yesterday came around once again. She found herself running through the hallways of the music department as the harmony intensified. Soon she was catching her breath on the very floor where the practice rooms were.

With every step she made her heart thumped harder but something else had surged throughout her body. The closer she got to the source of the melody the weaker her physique became but she persisted nonetheless. At the very room where she can hear the music loud and clear, her knees finally gave up and she was leaning against the door. Her head fell ill and it was all too much to tolerate, however, her hand had managed to turn the knob before completely giving up.

***

_Chapter Three_

_Interesting Interlude_

***

Magdalene's Note: I love torturing her. Little correction with the first chapter, Azuma doesn't sit on the top row; he belongs in the middle row.


	4. IV

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue except the plots and original characters. They are figments of my imagination.

***

_Caput Quattuor_

_Aetherius Vox_

***

A man stood in the middle of the three ascending circular rows. His hair as vivid as fire, his countenance covered with unmitigated anguish. He pleaded for removal in order to be with his lover but he was denied of such favour. From the top row, the same beautiful being with six wings left her post and landed in front of him.

"You have crafted a most unforgivable bond" she said.

"But I love her!" he protested.

"And that is why you have fallen from grace" roared she.

From the row which she came from, thousands of her kind stood, their wings stretched out behind them. Golden chains erupted at their will, ready to bound the defenceless being in question. He resisted and unfolded his wings, about to take his final leave but the shackles have woven their way swiftly around his body. They suspended him mercilessly under their divine presence.

"We are not spared from our sins" she spoke, "You shall be casted down and will be delivered into darkness to wait for judgement"

"This is not fair Kanon!" there was anger in his voice, "I know you got ambitions of your own"

"That is impossible"

"Have you ever thought of being more than a Seraph?" he pushed on, "Have you ever craved for more power?"

"I know where I stand" she stated, "And I know what I have to do to preserve the divinity of our kind"

She held her composure before commanding the rest of the Seraphim to pass punishment upon him. They started pulling, slowly tearing his wings apart from his body. He howled in pain as blood gushed from the roots of his wings and down his back. With a final tug, a piercing cry erupted from him lips and blood soaked feathers floated about the rows.

"No!" Hino cried.

She found herself sitting on the clinic bed, the afternoon sun beaming through the window. Her vision was blurry and her face sensed the warm tears running down from her eyes. More teardrops came as her heart felt heavy from her brief dream, followed by a stinging pain in the head that made her whine.

"Are you okay?"

Hino turned to where the question came and saw the school doctor giving her a concerned yet well-reserved look. He has a favourable face for a man of such position and his presence was somewhat comforting. With cup in hand, he walked and stopped to take the seat next to the bed. He then repeated the question.

"I'm fine" she answered, shaking her head, "It was just a bad dream"

"Classes are almost over" he said, "You should go home and rest more"

"But I have work" she cut in.

"Work?" he frowned, "I won't allow it"

"But—"

"No" he said more firmly, "It is my professional obligation to restrict you to what your body won't be able to handle for the meantime"

She wanted to give him her reasons but she felt her head hurt again. The doctor stuffed his hand in his coat pocket and pulled out a small tablet bottle

"For your tension headaches" he said, handing her the bottle, "Do you have the number to your work place?"

"Yes, but why?"

"I'll inform them that you cannot go today" said he, "Surely they will understand after I give them my consent"

She nodded and watched as the doctor made the call. He explained clearly why she can't make it and had a few nods himself before hanging up. There was suddenly a knock on the door which made Hino raise a quizzical brow.

"Come in" he said.

The door opened and her mouth fell slightly open at the person standing in the doorway. It was the same student who gave her a forewarning yesterday at work. He still has the same inert expression on his face and the violin case on his right hand. He then walked in and gave the doctor a short nod of respect.

"You were the one who saw her, right?" the doctor said.

"Yes"

"Good" he answered, "You shall be escorting her home"

She saw him flinch but only a little. He, however, gave another small nod and agreed quietly at the doctor's request.

"But I can manage going home on my own" Hino leaped off the bed and scrambled to get her things and herself ready.

"I cannot risk having a student passing out on the streets" he explained, "It is better for you to have company till you get home. Kindly make sure she gets home safely, Tsukimori-san"

"Yes Kira-sensei" he said.

"You may leave" the doctor finally bid them.

From the school to her apartment, there were no words uttered between the two. Tsukimori kept his distance from her but only a few feet away. Hino made sure to focus solely on getting home and was quite anxious of seeing him go. But the very minute they have reached her unit, the rain poured instantly. She was hesitant at first but saw that there was no harm to it; it was only for a couple of minutes so she let him in.

"Would you like anything?" those were her first words since they left the school.

"No thanks"

"Don't be silly" she insisted, "At least let me give you some tea while you wait"

Upon entering her home, the first area that greeted him was the kitchen. Lined-up against the right wall were the countertop, small refrigerator, stove and sink. Opposite the kitchen were the bathroom doors, one small room for the tub and shower the other for the toilet. And directly in front was the living room. There were no more rooms beyond the six _tatami _tiled sitting room. Tsukimori suspected that the same room where he was sitting on, with the aid of the _zabuton_, was the same room she uses for eating and sleeping. Against the left wall of the living room were the closet and a bookshelf. A small television stood diagonally on the corner of the right wall and the balcony door. Hino came in with two tea-filled cups and placed them on the _kotatsu _table.

"Quite small huh?" she mused, sitting across him.

"Yes"

"Well, at least I have no one to share it with" she smiled.

"You live alone?" he asked.

"Yup" she was quite proud of that.

"That's quite unusual"

"Maybe" she said then thought of changing the subject, "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" he took a short sip.

She shifted just a little, her eyes wandered off to his bag then to his violin case. The falling rain sounded weaker than before. He then placed his empty cup on the table and she placed an elbow and cupped her face in return.

"What was that piece you were playing?" she asked.

"The one you heard before passing out?" he said.

"Yeah" her cheeks went pink.

"Lilium"

"Lilium" she repeated the title quite slowly then continued, "Does it have words?"

"You mean lyrics?" he nodded, "Yes it does"

"I see" she sighed then suddenly whimpered as her head felt the smarting pain again.

"Hmm?" he gave her an alarmed look but did not ask for her condition.

"It comes and goes" she assured him, retracting the tablet bottle from her bag.

"I better head on" he said, standing and gathering his things, "The rain just stopped"

"Oh right" she said, putting her cup on the table, "Let me see you off then"

"That's okay" he was already making his way towards the door, "You should follow Kira-sensei's orders"

"But let me—"

"Thanks for the tea" and he was gone.

"Thank you in return" she answered and frowned at her closed front door.

***

Once inside the school campus, hushes and whispers sprouted like mushrooms at her mere presence. There were glares but most were stares of disbelief. She entered her homework with such a crease on her forehead that no one dared to ask her why, except for Takato.

"How was it?" she asked between giggles.

"Huh?"

"Oh c'mon you know what I mean" she said, taking her seat, "In the arms of that cool and good-looking music student"

"What?"

"Mio, have you forgotten that she was unconscious at the time?" Kobayashi said, sitting down next to Takato.

"I know it was him who saw me but I didn't know he carried me" the words came out quite frantically followed by a slight blush.

"Yes!" exclaimed Takato, "And what a scene it was! He carried you all the way from the other building to our building. You should have seen the look on his face!"

"What look?"

"He was very worried" she pressed on, "There was panic in his eyes"

"Okay that's enough gossip ladies" Kaji said, swinging his bag and placing it on his desk, "Sensei's here"

The regret of not saying the simplest form of gratitude to Tsukimori yesterday was unacceptable. Regardless of him wincing from the request of the school doctor, he accepted and made sure she was home safely. And after knowing that it was he who carried her from the practice room to the clinic was another reason for her to, at all cost, tell him how grateful she was.

As half of her day went by, her apprehension grew further. She hoped to see him at lunch but it turned out to be another disappointment. There was no sign of him at any of the practice rooms except for a music teacher who lingered along the hallway peering at every door whilst listening, mumbling and partially humming to no one. Just like Hino, the teacher left the floor with his spirits dissatisfied.

The remainder of her day came and soon after the bell rang to end all classes. Hino desperately continued her search but was let down once again. Students were emptying each room and she has work to tend to. She sighed and decided to take a quick look at the sky to alleviate her disposition. Hino turned the knob and the sound that captivated her once flowed through the door.

Though it was a different song Tsukimori was playing, she did not care. All thought of thanking him vanished as she glided and halted a few feet away from him. The feeling was the same as the first time she heard his melody. It enraptured her and soon she felt her eyes shut and her lips parted to let the words come out on their own, just like before.

_Ave Maria Gratia plena_

_Maria Gratia plena_

_Maria Gratia plena_

_Ave, ave dominus_

_Dominus tecum_

Tsukimori kept going and was evidently not at all disturbed by her singing. Instead, his hands moved on their own accord. He played with more conviction than he intended to. And his eyes closed, taking in the harmony he made with her voice.

_Benedicta tu in mulieribus_

_Et Benedictus_

_Et benedictus fructus ventris_

_Ventris tui Jesus_

He thought that the way she had handled those notes were superb but he was not going to admit it at once. He wanted to see, to know who it was that had the nerve and talent to sing along with his music. Such a voice was too good to be true. Tsukimori extracted himself from his sudden attachment to her vocals and turned just in time to see Hino end the song.

"_Ave Maria" _her voice softened and her eyes slowly opened.

"You can sing?" he stuttered, "And in Latin"

"I guess I can" she said uncertainly, "I really don't sing a lot so I guess it sounded awful"

"No" he shook his head a bit, "It was—"

"Perfect!" boomed a voice from the doorway.

***

_Chapter Four_

_Ethereal Voice_

***

Magdalene's Note: Yes, I included the opening theme song singer, Kanon. She did a cameo before so I wanted to include her too. Kira is the school doctor, yummy. Hino sings in Latin. The Lilium I used is the opening for another anime, Elfen Lied.

Latin Ave Maria:

http:// www. youtube. com/watch?v=omnoju-pYME


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